Cover for vessels&#39; hatchways.



PATENTBD MARglo, 190s.

l' E. lW. DE RUSETT. Y COVER POR VESSELS" HATGHWAYS.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 9, 1902.

I0 MODEL.

INVENTOR:

WITNESSES:

mf mums persas co.' PHocrLrrNn.. wnnmnmu, u, c.

INTTED STATES PATENT OEETCE.

EDWIN WV. DE RUSETT, OF TYNEMOUTH, ENGLAND.

COVER FOR VESSELS HATCHWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 722,215, dated March 10, 1903.

Application filed June 9,1902. Serial No. 110,734. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern.:

Be it known that I, EDWIN VILLIAM DE RUSETT, civil engineer and naval architect, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Warden House, Tynemouth, in the county of Northumberland, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Covers for Vessels Hatchways and Similar Openings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to covers for vessels hatchways and similar openings; and it has for its object to provide means for reducing the time occupied at present in opening and closing same and also to provide more durable means for rendering the hatch-covers practically or absolutely water-tight, whereby the vessel is rendered more seaworthy.

In carrying out this invention the hatchcovers are preferably made of steel or other similar material, either liat, corrugated, dished, or channeled. The covers may be made in one or more pieces, according to the size of the hatch and the strength or handiness of the available appliances for lifting or moving them.

The covers may be hinged at one or both ends or sides of the hatches. If the covers are hinged, they may rest when closed on the top edge of the coamings and they may be made to close water-tight around the edges by means of lap-joints consisting of strips of tarpaulin or other suitable material eiiiciently attached to the hatch-cover, for instance, by means of metal strips iixed by bolts and nuts or screwed pins or rivets to the edge of the cover and which are secured to the hatchcoaming by being pressed tightly against them by any suitable means or, as at present, by hatch-bars pressed against the tarpaulin by means of wedges bearing against cleats riveted to the coamings or by means of screws tapped into cleats and so pressing against the hatch-bars to secure the tarpaulin.

If the hatch-coveris in more parts than one, the joints between the parts may be made water-tight by causing the meeting edges of the said parts to overlap with india-rubber jointing inserted between the said edges, which are then pressed together in any suitable manner. The joints are, however, preferably made water-tight by means of strips of tarpaulin secured in a similar manner to that hereinbefore described for securing the strips of tarpaulin at the outer edges of the cover to the hatch-coaming, except that in this instance the tarpaulin is laid up and over vertically-projecting meeting edges of the parts .of the cover and is secured at each end of the said meeting edges-say by the bar which secures the tarpaulin against the coaming.

The hereinbefore-described construction of cover and appliances for securing same are suitable for hatches in which the top of the coaming is sufficiently raised above the deck to enable the hereinbefore-described lapped joints to be made.

I will now refer to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention.

Figure l is a transverse sectional elevation of the improved hinged hatch-cover. Fig. 2 is a plan of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is an enlarged section of the hinged joint, also showing the means for-,making the water-tight joint between the cover and the coamings. Fig. 4 is a section showing the means for making the water-tight joint between the meeting edges of a hatch-cover made in more parts than one. Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation showing the end of the joint shown in Eig. 4f.

Referring to Figs. l, 2, and 3, A is the hatch-cover, having sti ffening-bars a of bulbangle section. a c are the hinge-joints, four being shown on the hatch illustrated. The hinge-joints d are formed by brackets B B', fixed, respectively, to the bulb-angle stiftener a. of the cover and the side of the coaming C. These brackets are connected by a hinge-pin b, which is set away from the coaming C, as shown, to allow clearance for the overlapping joint between the hatch-cover and the coaming.

Referring now to the overlapping joint, it comprises an angle-iron strip A2, attached to the edge of the cover A, with one flange a2 depending, while the other, a3, rests onltop of the coamin g C. A strip of waterproof canvas or similar waterproof flexible material D is attached to the depending ange a2 either inside or out all around the hatch-cover. In the drawings this waterproof strip is shown as attached inside the flange a2 by means of an iron strip or bar (l, clamped to the iiange upon the strip D by means of bolts and nuts d.

IOO

This waterproof strip D is of such width that it can be passed down within cleats, such as E, secured to the sides ot' the coaming, where the waterproof strip is clamped by means of an iron battening-bar e and wooden wedges e. Any other suitable means for securing the edge of the waterproof strip D in a watertight manner against the coaming may be employed. For instance, it may be secured by means of screws tapped into the cleat and serving when screwed up to press against the hatch-bars, and thus secure the tarpaulin. By arranging the overlapping joint as described the usual molding c around the hatchcoaming may be used.

The hinged cover when closed will generally be heavy enough to be kept in position by its own weight; but in practice it may be found necessary to provide means for preventing the cover from being lifted by rough seas. For this purpose hinged or toggle bolts and nuts, such as shown at F F, Figs. 1 and 2, are preferably used to keep the covers down when closed; but any other suitable devices may be used for this purpose. Suitable rests are provided to support the cover when open. These are not shown in the drawings.

The hinged covers may be lifted by any suitable means, such as a derrick and tackle working off the nearest mast, or a worm and quadrant acting at or near the hinged end may bensed.

Referring now to Figs. 4 and 5, which illustrate the means for making the water-tight joint between the meeting edges of the hatchcover made in more parts than one, A3 A4 are two portions of a hatch-cover. G and G2 are two bulb angles. The bulbangle G is mounted at the edge of the part A3, while the bulb-angle G2 is mounted on the adjoining edge of the part A4. The bulb-angle G is xed so as to extend beyond the meeting edges of the parts, while the angle G2 is set back a short distance from the edge of the part A, thus providing an overlapping joint, as shown. D' is the strip of tarpaulin, fixed to the bulb-angle G by bolts and nuts with a clamping-strip g and adapted when the parts are together to be passed up over the projecting meeting edges of the bulb-angles G G2, being then secured on the other side of the joint by means of clamping-bars and wedges g g2, secured between the bulb-angle G2 and a lug or lugs g3, fastened to the hatch-cover A4. This is clearly shown in Fig. 4. In order that the Waterproof strip D may be properly secured at the ends, it is passed over the edge of the hatch-cover and secured against the coaming C by battens and wedges, as shown at h, Fig. 5.

The various means for securing the covers in place may be formed integrally with the covers or coamings or they may be separate therefrom. The toggle-bolts hereinbefore referred to are preferably hinged to cleats of a special pattern fixed to the coamings, or they may have a rounded boss at the end of the bolt, which passing through a conical or enlarged hole-say in a lug or cleat-will allow the bolt to have play and so serve the same purpose as a hinge.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The improvements in and relating to covers for vessels hatchways and similar openings comprising the combination of a hatchway, a cover thereto, a exible waterproof strip having one of its edges attached to the edge of the cover, and means for clamping said waterproof strip tightly in a position overlapping the joining edges of the cover and hatchway, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The improvements in and relating to covers for vessels hatchways and similar openings comprising the combination of a hatchway, a cover thereto, a flexible waterproof strip, means for permanently fixing one edge of the said waterproof strip around the edge of the hatchway-cover, and means for detachably clamping the other edge of said waterproof strip to the hatchWay-framing so that said strip overlaps the joining edges of the cover and hatchway, substantially as set forth.

3. The improvements in and relating to covers for vessels hatchways and similar openings comprising the combination of a hatchway, a hatchway-cover in sections, a liexible waterproof strip attached to the edges of the cover and sections, projecting iianges forming edges to the adjoining edges of said sections, means for clamping the waterproof strip of exible material around the joining edges of the cover and hatchway-coaming, means for clamping the iieXible waterproof strip over the projecting flanges on the adjoining edges of the sections, means for clamping the ends of the waterproof strip which covers the adjoining edges of the sections to the hatchway-coaming, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. Theimprovementsinandrelatingtocovers for vessels hatchways and similar openings comprising the combination of a hatchway, a coaming to said hatchway, a cover to the hatchway hinged to the coaming at one side, a downwardly-projecting flange around the edge of the cover, a strip of waterproof material attached to the downwardly-projecting flange, means for clamping the waterproof strip of iiexible material against the coaming so as to form a water-tight joint therewith, all substantially as set forth.

5. Theimprovementsin and relating to covers for vessels hatchways and similar openings comprising the combination of a hatchway, a coaming to said hatchway, a cover to the hatchway, an overlapping joint between the hatchway-cover and the coaming formed by a downwardly-projecting flange upon the cover, a strip of waterproof flexible material passing all around the hatch-cover, means for IDO IIO

attaching one edge of said waterproof strip to the downwardly-projecting iiange in the cover, means for clamping the other edge of said waterproof strip against the hatchwaycoaming and makinga Water-tightjoint therewith When required, a hinge for the hatchwaycover formed by a bracket on the cover and a bracket on the coaming, said brackets being pivoted together and. forming a hinged joint clear of the ange upon the cover and the jointing means, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. Theimprovements in and relating to covers for vessels hatchways and similar openings comprising the combination of a hatchway, a coaming to said hatchway, a cover to the hatchway, an overlapping joint between the hatchway-cover and the coaming formed by a downwardly-projecting fiange upon the cover, a strip of waterproof flexible material passing all around the hatch-cover, means for attaching one edge of said waterproof strip to the downwardly-projecting ange in the cover, means for clamping the other edge of said waterproof strip against the hatchwaycoaniin g and making a water-tight joint therewith when required, ahinge for the hatchwaycover formed by a bracket on the cover and a bracket on the coaming, said brackets being pivoted together and forming a hinged joint clear of the flange upon the cover and the jointing means, means for clamping down the cover when in closed position, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. The improvements in and relating to covers for vessels hatchways and similar openings comprising the combination of a hatchway, a hatchway-coaming, a hatchway-cover hinged to the coaming, a eXible strip of Waterproof material permanently attached at one of its edges to the edges of the hatchway-cover and overlapping the joining edges of the same and the hatchway-coaming when the cover is placed on the hatchway, and means for clamping the other edge of said Waterproof strip tightly in position when required, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWIN W. DE RUSETT.

Witnesses:

ADoLPHUs H. DIoKINsoN, THOMAS WILSON. 

